Last December, while contemplating the trend of sheer clothing and underwear as outerwear, I fell in love with the 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2010 collection, not because it was sheer and scandalous, but because it had the essence of being barely there without showing the world what ya’ momma gave you. Lo and behold. While perusing the Modcloth website, I stumbled upon magical a skirt that was more than inspired by the collection.

It has the same perfect broomstick pleats (or as Modcloth calls them “accordion pleats”), rarely seen in modern clothing— I’ve loved the way they flow since I bought my first and only 3.1 Phillip Lim dress on consignment for a whopping $300.

Yes, it does make me sick to think about paying that much for a dress.

To be honest, the Midnight Foil Skirt [affiliate link] might just be crossing the line from inspired to replica. I’m still unsure as to which side of the real/fake battle I’m supposed to take. On one hand I believe that fashion is art, and it being so, any recreations should at least be termed replicas. On the other hand, I’m in no way wealthy enough to afford most full priced high-fashion pieces of clothing and being able to find something similar at a price I can afford is wonderful.

All plagues on my conscience aside, I’m completely infatuated with this skirt and might just have to buy it before the holidays. It’s a perfect Christmas party/New Year’s Eve skirt, no?

Last week, I decided to watch How to Marry a Millionaire with my mom followed by a Mad Men marathon, to get me out of a funk. After, oohing and ahhing over the clothes, I realized if I could go back in time, one of the only eras I would visit is the 50s/early-60s.

I love over-the-top circle skirts, and the way girdles made everyone’s waist look like it was the size of my pinky— I’m not a fan of the pain, though.

I started thinking about where I could get that look without heading to a costume shop. My mind quickly flashed to the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 collection. I’ve been tweeting obsessively about the big, bold and sometimes leather, skirts for almost a month. They make me want fall so badly, but for over $2,000, I’m going to have to pass on the LV version.

Here are my top, less expensive, picks:
1. We Love Vera Licorice Lanes Skirt, $78
2. Sparkle & Fade Full Voile Skirt, $58
3. French Connection Otis Skirt, $54

In a sea of fashionistas in skinnies, there’s the fabulous Rachel Zoe in her trademark 7 For All Mankind bellbottoms, now lovingly dubbed ‘The Rachel’.

RZ pairs them with everything from a flowy bohemian top to a t-shirt and a Louis Vuitton jacket—do you remember the season two episode of the Rachel Zoe Project when she thought she was going to die?

You, too, can take the road less traveled and get your limited edition pair of ‘The Rachel’ bellbottoms, exclusively a Piperlime for $169.

Hurry, because I’m sure they’ll sell like hotcakes.

I’ve grown up in a time of platform sneakers and boy-bashing tees, bell bottom jeans and cropped tops, and of late, shoulder pads and metal overload. The only thing I’ve yet to truly experience in my short lifetime is pretty sophistication. Sure, I had pretty as a baby with my itchy crinoline dresses and patent leather mary janes, and there is always some level of sophistication, but it’s never been trendy, and in 2010, I hope my cravings for what I lack will be satiated.

For spring, it seems the fashion industry is divided. The editors will quite obviously fill their magazines with the underwear as outwear trends seen all over the runway, while the rest of the world looks on in horror or at least confused amusement. New York Magazine‘s The Cut Blog even describes spring’s look as “a lot of panty bottoms and feminine ruffles and bras we’re supposed to wear as tops. You know, conventional femininity of yore, skank gear [...]“, but I’m not exactly sure that’s what spring will be.

Sure, that may be what slinky models wore down the runway and what will be on display in a Vogue of your choice, but I’m not sure designers or editors, for that matter, are as incredibly out of touch as people are making them seem. I’m sure they realize the proletariat masses aren’t going to be seen wearing a boudoir style bra while walking down Broadway— unless it’s a work uniform of course.

I think… I hope… the boudoir movement is less about getting naked and more about how it feels to be naked, the sexiness and apprehension you feel when peeling off your clothes for another person, the delicateness of a woman’s body. We’ve experienced an eternity, at least in fashion years, of geometric silhouettes, skinny jeans, and sharp shoulders, but now it’s time to be pretty. It’s time to strip away all the armor and replace it with amour, to work with the natural, soft, feminine beauty, and this doesn’t mean every fabric worn should be sheer, garters should show, or actual shirts should disappear. It just means, the clothes created and worn should feel good against your skin and make you feel as if you’re baring it all without having to bare anything, all things I personally feel Phillip Lim, though a young designer, does quite well.

Lim’s spring 2010 collection is going to be my personal guide to nudity because not only are the designs pretty, something I’ve longed for, but they evoke a certain boudoir feel without actually going that extra mile and put panties on preview.

I first took notice of MYNE only a few days ago, after seeing Rachel Bilson sporting one of their perfectly patterned skirts. I headed to their website and fell hard for their fall 2009 collection. The cut of the the tops, bat-wing sleeves and all, are exactly what I’ve been looking for,while the structured skirts and silky fabrics would be perfect for work.

My three favorite pieces from the line are the Frankie top ($176 on Shopbop.com), the Skylar skirt, and the Stella dress.

Click here to see where MYNE is sold. ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/10/26/my-birthday-wish-no-2/feed/ 0 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/08/18/styleq-practically-your-own-stylist/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/08/18/styleq-practically-your-own-stylist/#comments Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:07:52 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1216 I was reading Daily 10 stylist Monica Rose‘s blog the other day and she posted about a website called StyleQ. It is a newly launched webstore that “[offers] unprecedented access to the hottest looks worn by the most fashionable celebrities.” They also invite celebrity stylists to create a lookbook for them in the aesthetic of said stylist.

Monica Rose, who also styles Kim and Khloe Kardashian, was the first celeb stylist to be selected to create a Stylist Lookbook for StyleQ. “I actually went to NY and became a buyer for the clothes that they would sell on their site. Everything I choose are items that I would put on my clients,” said Monica.

You may be able to purchase every specially picked item in Monica’s lookbook, but it was a skirt that wasn’t in the stylist’s lookbook that really caught my eye.

I haven’t lusted over a skirt in a while, at least as far as I remember, which is about last night, so it must be fate that this ‘Banded Zipper Skirt’ by Nuj popped onto my computer screen. I generally don’t like mixing too many trends in one piece of clothing, but the bodycon bandage style works so well with exposed zippers I can complain about the über-trendiness.

p.s. My runner-up skirt lust is the ‘Basketweave Skirt’ by Thread Social ($375). ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/08/18/styleq-practically-your-own-stylist/feed/ 2 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/08/04/guys-in-skinnies-i-dont-mind/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/08/04/guys-in-skinnies-i-dont-mind/#comments Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:57:56 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1194

The other day, I was making an impromptu Taco Bell run with a friend of mine, and he was commenting on how he has noticed a lot of guys wearing skinny jeans, of late. He then asked what I thought of guys in skinny jeans. After a slight pause, and a ponderous “Ummmm,” I gave the most uninspired of uninspiring answers, “I don’t mind it.”

That was the truth! I don’t mind guys wearing skinny jeans. Being a fan of emo bands, whose members have been following the go-skinny-or-go-home rule for as long as I’ve liked them, has most likely jaded my impression of the look. I could walk past a guy wearing pants so tight my parents and grandparents would undoubtedly question his sexuality, but I wouldn’t give it a second glance.

Apparently the people at Bluefly’s Flypaper blog have been noticing this trend too, because they’ve had not one but two posts about male skinnies in the past 5 months, the latest of which is a video of Fashion PR’s HBIC, Kelly Cutrone, running around NYC asking random hotties about their snug bottoms.

After watching the video, I may still be unfazed by the onslaught of men wearing tight jeans, but I now know where all the hot guys are hiding in NYC!

Before you cast your vote on the guys wearing skinny jeans trend, here’s some food for thought, thanks to the Flypaper blog:

“1. Skinny jeans are a great way [for guys] to show off spanking new sneakers — especially hightops.
2. Many guys can’t wear their skinnies without a fedora. It seems they just feel naked without one on. To a lesser extent, they must have on a vest or kerchief too.
3. They must be worn with a belt— unless you mean to let everyone know your thong matches your sneaker’s fat laces.
4. No matter how skinny they are on a dude, they will still look like boyfriend jeans on a girl.”

I’d like to think that jeans are sexy because they can give your tush the perfect curve, and if they have a bit of spandex will also give you a bit of lift and tighten. A good pair of jeans can be like plastic surgery without the anesthesia, cutting, or 4-6 week recovery time.

However, this positive thinking did begin while looking at little Miss Georgia of Famous-Last-Name— she’s the daughter of the statuesque Jerry Hall and his rock majesty, Mick Jagger. Perhaps, my eyes are all starry and my heads in an optimistic fog from staring at celebuspawn because I don’t know if normal girls can actually look jean ad amazing?

I hope we can. I know advertisements are meant to make you believe you’ll look that good wearing said clothes, but I’m going to believe in the power of optimism. Every time I put on a pair of jeans, I’m going to act like I look as hot as Georgia. Mind of matter, baby. Mind over matter! ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/22/its-in-the-jeans/feed/ 5 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/11/leave-it-to-topshop/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2009/07/11/leave-it-to-topshop/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:41:22 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/?p=1144

I’m almost to the point of not being able to live without this skirt.

The clothes are all very well made and super chic. These are my newest loves from Anthros!

Bag, $78  •  Cardigan, $98  •  Skirt, $148  •  Dress, $478

I found the most amazing acid wash denim skirt at this vintage store near my old house last week. When I saw it I knew it needed to be part of my wardrobe. What girl doesn’t want a high-waist acid wash denim skirt?

I think it will be my answer to the ever-present cut-off shorts— I’m so tired of that trend. If acid wash denim is a summer must, then this is the best way to rock it.

Excuse the cruddy mirror shot inside a store. Apparently, my entire family has shaky hand syndrome because every picture they took of me was blurry.

p.s. Happy Memorial Day!

I’m the first to admit the potential body delusions I have, primarily those with my legs.

My stems are short and bowed, and I hate my thighs because they’re, well, sort of fat, for lack of a better word. Others will disagree— maybe not about the short and bowed part, but you get my point.

The reasons listed above have lead to my detest of wearing shorts. They draw too much attention to my least favorite body part. However, if any label was to get me into a dreaded pair, it would have to be Chloé.

These high-waisted cotton shorts are pretty much perfect. They have a high waist which will cut up my extra-long waist thus making my legs look longer. They aren’t bootie shorts that will offend anyone behind or within a 10n foot radius of me. They’re cotton, so I can throw them in my washer with all my other clothes without having to worry about ruining them. Also, the scallop detail at the waist adds the slightest bit of girlie detail to the safari shorts.

The shorts only fault is their price. I guess I’m destined to be a skirt girl.

Here are my picks…

1. Pleat Detail Tulip Skirt $39, ASOS.com; 2. Pleated Linen Skirt $18, Forever21.com; 3. Floral-print swing skirt $49, Newport-News.com; 4. Rooftop Party Skirt $43, ModCloth.com; 5. Pleated Miuccia Skirt $20, FredFlare.com; For more Sweet Spring Skirts, CLICK HERE.

I’m slowly settling back into school— unfortunately— but, I can’t seem to let the great times of this summer go. Though I pretty much worked everyday, I still enjoyed every minute of it and every dollar earned and spent on new clothes. While rummaging through my closet today, there it was, just staring at me, the bridesmaid dress I wore to my parents vow renewal— another mark of a summer well spent, but what do I do with the dress now?

The pearlescent fabric makes it completely useless for day-to-day wear as a dress, but with a bit of folding, some shimming to get in on, and a belt to keep it in place, the dress makes quite the skirt. The only problem with having loads of extra material under the skirt is it gives me an ass like Kim Kardashian, but I guess some guys like that, right? To be honest, life would be much easier if I just cut the top of the dress off and the seam, bit I can’t cut the dress up just yet because (A) I’m still a terrible seamstress, (B) I only bought the dress in June, and (C) I’m the type of person who saves things for good, and I might one day have to wear this dress somewhere— at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I also went to Target the other day to buy school supplies, and though I did my fair share of frolicking through the aisles of pens, notebooks, and folders, I ended up in the shoe section where I picked up these cute purple moccasins. I’m still sort of in shock as to how much I actually like the shoes because when I was little, my grandma tried to get me to buy moccasins, and I bitched and whined about how gross they are. Oh, how things change!

Fashion week officially starts tomorrow, and unfortunately I won’t be heading to the tents this season, but that’s okay because the exhausted student in me would much rather sleep my free time away. I am however really bummed that I missed the Fashion Indie Brooklyn Bridge fashion show, you can read all about it on Fashion Indie.

What clothes do you plan to take with you from summer to fall or even into winter?

I know it sounds really ironic, a TV show based in the 50s about a bunch of misogynistic ad men is giving women an inspirational message? Well the thing is there are a few choice female characters that really get it. They realize the power they have as women, and use that to their advantage even though in the show they do hold more of a background power, its still better than going for the power and never getting it. My favorite line of all the episodes I watched was when Bobbie Barrett (Melinda McGraw’s character) tells Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss’ character) that she needs to act like the woman she wants to be and then become that woman. She also says she needs to stop trying to be a powerful man with the corner office and be a powerful woman.

So, how do I just be a powerful woman and not a woman trying to be a powerful man and not just that but, “who do I want to be?” and “how do I act like that person?”

Since the movie August was fresh in my mind I let my mind venture into the who I have to swindle to become Josh Hartnett’s girlfriend, but a couple days and one potential sex scandal later and I’m thinking otherwise.

Then I decided I wanted to be someone who’s out of college, but realized by acting like I don’t have to go to school and intern skipping class, that wouldn’t actually help me get out of college so that went out the window too.

Finally I just decided I wanted to be the best damn me I could possibly be and if that happens to mean I end up dating some gorgeous hopefully financially secure whatever then so be it, and if I happen to end up with this t-shirt Natalie Portman wore arriving at the Westin Excelsior Resort at the the Venice Film Festival on Monday, then lucky me, and if I happen to become this awesomely successful publicist/stylist/fashion blogger— please, please, please— then that’s life. The one thing that I did settle on, was I’m going to become the owner of a marvelous 50s style skirt and I will pair it with a slouchy burnout tank preferably from Alexander Wang and lots and lots of cheapo metal bangles because who doesn’t like being a human tambourine!?

Who do you want to be?